Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an inhalation training system, especially for practicing (in particular, used as synonym for training) of an inhalation process of a patient, a method for practicing of an inhalation process of a patient, a method of using a portable communications device, and an information storage medium.
Description of Related Art
Drugs which are to be inhaled constitute a preferred therapy for patients with asthma, a chronically obstructive pulmonary disease or other chronic or acute conditions or diseases of the respiratory tract.
So-called inhalers are used for inhalation of drugs. The most frequently used inhalers are pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) and dry powder inhalers (DPIs). pMDIs were developed to supply a precise amount or dose of a drug in the form of a cloud of aerosol droplets to the lungs of the patient when the latter inhales. Dry powder inhalers are made such that when the patient inhales they supply a metered amount of dry pulverized particles to the lungs.
The effectiveness of drugs which are to be inhaled depends largely on the way the inhaler is used by the patient. Optimally, the correct amount of the drug at the correct instant travels to the desired regions of the lungs. Otherwise, the therapeutic effect is reduced and/or the risk of negative side effects is increased.
The literature contains numerous instances substantiating that many patients incorrectly use inhalers. Instruction of the patient with respect to a correct inhalation technique can improve the use of inhalers. In addition to written and oral instructions, practical exercises are helpful for this purpose.
However, since inhalation generally proceeds subconsciously and develops over the course of a lifetime, it is especially difficult for a patient to change his/her inhalation in order to increase the effectiveness of a drug which is to be inhaled. Rather, it is known that many patients again use suboptimum inhalation even a short time after instruction. Therefore, repeated, preferably regular practicing of inhalation and its checking are recommended.
Inhalation training systems were developed for this purpose. Known inhalation training systems differ from each other with respect to the inhalation model for which the patient is to be trained, with respect to the type of feedback to the patient (for example, acoustically or visually), with respect to the measured variable (for example, inhaled volume, volumetric flow or flow rate or mass flow which is produced during inhalation, velocity of the inhaled particles during the inhalation process), with respect to sensors and actuators (for example, mechanical, magnetic or electronic) and with respect to size, handling and costs. Some inhalation training systems use inhalers which are available on the market, while other inhalation training systems copy or emulate inhalers or parts of them.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0187869 A1 which forms the starting point of this invention shows a dedicated inhalation training system which has a mouthpiece and a converter apparatus. The converter apparatus converts an air flow which occurs in the mouthpiece in a patient inhalation process into a pressure drop or negative pressure. A control circuit converts the pressure drop or negative pressure into an analog, linearized signal.